Friday, October 28, 2005
October was one to remember
HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros had just been swept by the Chicago White Sox in the 101st World Series on Wednesday night, but even that disappointment couldn't completely ruin what had been a magnificent October by the Astros. For the first time since the franchise began play in 1962, Houston reached the World Series with an inspiring October run that won't soon be forgotten.
"[October] was a lot like our season in general," said second baseman Craig Biggio. "Some highs, some lows, but we kept moving ahead until the end. Every day was tense -- every pitch, almost. A lot of emotion swings. Say what you will about it, it was never boring."
Quite the opposite.
Beginning with the Wild Card-clinching win over the Cubs on Oct. 2, right through the Game 4 loss in the World Series to the White Sox, October was a wild ride for the back-to-back National League Wild Card winners.
The Astros capped their unbelievable run from a 15-30 record in May to the playoffs with a come-from-behind win over the Cubs at Minute Maid Park on the final day of the regular season. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, the Astros tied the game on Jason Lane's homer, and Adam Everett scored the go-ahead run later on an error in the inning as Houston earned a 6-4 win behind Roy Oswalt.
Oswalt, as he had been so many times during the season, was the stopper in the game the Astros had to have to edge the Phillies for the final NL playoff berth.
The Astros met a familiar foe in the National League Division Series in the Atlanta Braves.
Morgan Ensberg drove in five runs on three hits in Game 1, tying Carlos Beltran's franchise record for RBIs in a playoff game, and Andy Pettitte limited Atlanta to four hits and three runs in seven innings as Houston took a 10-5 victory in the opener.
The Braves evened the series the next day as rookie Brian McCann, in his first career playoff plate appearance, hit a three-run home run off Roger Clemens to help the Braves to a 7-1 win behind John Smoltz.
A sellout crowd at Minute Maid Park saw the Astros regain the series lead with a 7-3 win in Game 3 as Oswalt held the Braves to three runs in 7 1/3 innings. Mike Lamb broke a 2-2 tie with a solo homer in the third, and Biggio, who had three doubles on the day, keyed a four-run Houston seventh with a leadoff two-bagger off Chris Reitsma.
Game 4 of the NLDS made playoff history.
The longest postseason game in Major League history had it all: grand slams by Atlanta's Adam LaRoche and Houston's Lance Berkman, and a game-tying home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth by Astros catcher Brad Ausmus.
The game featured Clemens' first relief outing since July 18, 1984, and his first career pinch-hit appearance. Houston backup catcher Raul Chavez played first base for the first time in his career, and starting catcher Ausmus played some first base, but then moved back behind the plate when Clemens came in the game.
The sellout crowd of 43,413 saw Houston come back from a 6-1 eighth-inning deficit to win, 7-6. They saw 90 years on this earth and 42 years of Major League experience do battle when the 43-year-old Clemens faced 47-year-old Julio Franco.
When it finally ended, they saw Houston rookie Chris Burke drill a walk-off home run with one out in the 18th inning to send the Astros to the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row against the St. Louis Cardinals.
"It took every single guy we had. It took every single ounce of energy we had," Houston closer Brad Lidge said. "That's why it feels so good right now. It's just incredible. When you win a game like this, you know you've put everything on the line ... that's why it feels great."
The Rocket was literally the last man in the bullpen. He delivered a sacrifice bunt in the 15th in a pinch-hit appearance, and then stayed in the game for the final three innings.
"I've been in a lot of wonderful playoff games, a lot of wonderful World Series -- a couple of them," Clemens said. "I think a couple of the best ones I've been in have been on the losing side. But this game here was incredible."
Burke's next playoff at-bat would come on Oct. 12, when he delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer in the seventh inning of Game 1 of the NLCS at St. Louis. However, the Astros couldn't mount much else offensively against Chris Carpenter as the Cardinals claimed a 5-3 victory.
Game 2 of the NLCS was Oswalt's turn, and once again the right-hander was sensational in a big game. The right-hander gave up five hits in seven innings, although he lost his shutout bid on a solo homer by Albert Pujols in the sixth. Oswalt walked three and struck out six.
"He was outstanding," Everett said. "Every pitch he threw just seemed like it had a little bit extra. His curveball was great; his slider and his fastball [were] tremendous."
Burke, the NLDS hero, contributed a triple, an RBI single and two runs scored. The top third of the order -- Biggio, Willy Taveras and Lance Berkman -- were a combined 6-for-14. Burke, Everett and Ausmus contributed a combined two RBIs and three runs scored.
The Astros returned home for Game 3 and took a one-game advantage in the series, thanks to Lamb's two-run homer and Lane's RBI single and run scored, as the Astros and Clemens won, 4-3.
In Game 4, the Astros outpitched, outhit and outplayed the NL Central Division champs in a tight contest that wasn't decided until Houston snuffed out a ninth-inning rally with an improbable double play that even the Astros doubted they could turn.
When Eric Bruntlett and Everett teamed up for the game-ending 4-6-3 double play on a slow grounder off the bat of John Mabry, the Astros had parlayed their October magic into one more win that put them on the cusp of the World Series.
"When that ball left [Mabry's] bat, I thought, 'No way we turn that double play,'" Ensberg said. "I didn't think it was hit hard enough, but Eric made a quick throw, and Adam turned it about as quick as you'll ever see. It was an amazing play, really."
Houston's pitching staff continued to stifle St. Louis, holding the Cards to one run on five hits.
"I think we're all a little shocked right now at the way that game just ended," said Lamb. "It's a great feeling to be up 3-1 on the defending National League champions, but we've still got a long way to go."
That became evident the next night when the Astros came within one strike of clinching the NL pennant.
In Game 5, the Astros appeared to have their first trip to the World Series wrapped up after Berkman's go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh, but Pujols' three-run blast in the ninth off Lidge saved the Cards.
"This is why this game is so great. This is why we all play it and this is why we all love it," said Lane. "This was two great teams slugging back and forth."
Added Ausmus: "It just wasn't meant to be. It was actually a great baseball game to sit and watch. Unfortunately for us, we wound up losing."
It was truly one for the ages, with tension on every pitch and an emotional grind for all. There was the euphoria for the Astros over Berkman's opposite-field three-run homer in the seventh inning off Carpenter that gave Houston the lead, followed minutes later by the disappointment over the Cardinals, one pitch away from elimination, rallying with one of the more incredible comebacks in playoff history against one of the best closers in the game.
"The fans certainly got their money's worth," said Biggio.
Back in St. Louis for Game 6, the Astros turned to their stopper one more time.
With Oswalt pitching another masterpiece in a convincing 5-1 win over the Cardinals, the resilient Astros did what their doubters said they couldn't do -- make it to the World Series for the first time in the 44 years since the franchise began play in 1962.
Lane contributed a home run, and Ausmus had three hits.
"People that thought we would be down or flat after [the loss in Game 5] don't understand this team at all," Ensberg said. "I mean, we came back from 15-30; we came back from devastating losses before. No one in this room doubted we would come back again."
Houston's first World Series game didn't go as well as hoped, as Roger Clemens left in the second inning because of a strained left hamstring.
Lamb hit his third homer of the postseason and Berkman drove in two runs on two hits, but it wasn't enough as the White Sox and Jose Contreras recorded a 5-3 victory at U.S. Cellular Field.
Game 2 proved to be one of the most exciting games of the Series, as Houston was unable to hold a 4-2 lead in the seventh. Pettitte held the White Sox to two runs in six innings, but the White Sox broke through for four runs off the Houston bullpen in the seventh to take the lead.
The Astros weren't finished.
With two on and two outs in the top of the ninth, Jose Vizcaino lined a two-run single off White Sox closer Bobby Jenks to tie the game. Burke slid under the tag of Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski to keep his team alive.
Unfortunately for the Astros, the White Sox had an improbable comeback of their own for the bottom of the ninth.
With one out, Scott Podsednik, who didn't hit a homer in the regular season, hit a solo shot to right-center off Lidge to give Chicago a 7-6 victory and a 2-0 lead in the World Series.
The Astros were rolling along with a 4-0 lead in the fifth in Game 3 at Minute Maid Park. Oswalt was on the mound, the crowd was into it and the Astros seemed headed towards their first Fall Classic win. But a five-run fifth by Chicago, during which it sent 11 men to the plate, erased Houston's lead.
The Astros tied it on Jason Lane's RBI single in the eighth. And it stayed tied until the 14th inning, when former Astro Geoff Blum's home run gave the White Sox the lead in what was the longest World Series game in history.
Brandon Backe shut out the White Sox on five hits in seven innings in Game 4, but Chicago right-hander Freddy Garcia (another former Astro) was just as stingy. The game went to the bullpens, and Jermaine Dye's RBI single with two outs in the eighth was the difference in a 1-0 victory that gave the White Sox their first World Series title in 88 years.
For the Astros, their wild October ended with the tying run at second when Orlando Palmeiro grounded out to end the game.
"I was with a World Series winner [the Angels in 2002], but this was more exciting because we came from so far back and had so much to overcome to get here," Palmeiro said. "This has been an unbelieveable run."
Source: http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/
"[October] was a lot like our season in general," said second baseman Craig Biggio. "Some highs, some lows, but we kept moving ahead until the end. Every day was tense -- every pitch, almost. A lot of emotion swings. Say what you will about it, it was never boring."
Quite the opposite.
Beginning with the Wild Card-clinching win over the Cubs on Oct. 2, right through the Game 4 loss in the World Series to the White Sox, October was a wild ride for the back-to-back National League Wild Card winners.
The Astros capped their unbelievable run from a 15-30 record in May to the playoffs with a come-from-behind win over the Cubs at Minute Maid Park on the final day of the regular season. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, the Astros tied the game on Jason Lane's homer, and Adam Everett scored the go-ahead run later on an error in the inning as Houston earned a 6-4 win behind Roy Oswalt.
Oswalt, as he had been so many times during the season, was the stopper in the game the Astros had to have to edge the Phillies for the final NL playoff berth.
The Astros met a familiar foe in the National League Division Series in the Atlanta Braves.
Morgan Ensberg drove in five runs on three hits in Game 1, tying Carlos Beltran's franchise record for RBIs in a playoff game, and Andy Pettitte limited Atlanta to four hits and three runs in seven innings as Houston took a 10-5 victory in the opener.
The Braves evened the series the next day as rookie Brian McCann, in his first career playoff plate appearance, hit a three-run home run off Roger Clemens to help the Braves to a 7-1 win behind John Smoltz.
A sellout crowd at Minute Maid Park saw the Astros regain the series lead with a 7-3 win in Game 3 as Oswalt held the Braves to three runs in 7 1/3 innings. Mike Lamb broke a 2-2 tie with a solo homer in the third, and Biggio, who had three doubles on the day, keyed a four-run Houston seventh with a leadoff two-bagger off Chris Reitsma.
Game 4 of the NLDS made playoff history.
The longest postseason game in Major League history had it all: grand slams by Atlanta's Adam LaRoche and Houston's Lance Berkman, and a game-tying home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth by Astros catcher Brad Ausmus.
The game featured Clemens' first relief outing since July 18, 1984, and his first career pinch-hit appearance. Houston backup catcher Raul Chavez played first base for the first time in his career, and starting catcher Ausmus played some first base, but then moved back behind the plate when Clemens came in the game.
The sellout crowd of 43,413 saw Houston come back from a 6-1 eighth-inning deficit to win, 7-6. They saw 90 years on this earth and 42 years of Major League experience do battle when the 43-year-old Clemens faced 47-year-old Julio Franco.
When it finally ended, they saw Houston rookie Chris Burke drill a walk-off home run with one out in the 18th inning to send the Astros to the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row against the St. Louis Cardinals.
"It took every single guy we had. It took every single ounce of energy we had," Houston closer Brad Lidge said. "That's why it feels so good right now. It's just incredible. When you win a game like this, you know you've put everything on the line ... that's why it feels great."
The Rocket was literally the last man in the bullpen. He delivered a sacrifice bunt in the 15th in a pinch-hit appearance, and then stayed in the game for the final three innings.
"I've been in a lot of wonderful playoff games, a lot of wonderful World Series -- a couple of them," Clemens said. "I think a couple of the best ones I've been in have been on the losing side. But this game here was incredible."
Burke's next playoff at-bat would come on Oct. 12, when he delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer in the seventh inning of Game 1 of the NLCS at St. Louis. However, the Astros couldn't mount much else offensively against Chris Carpenter as the Cardinals claimed a 5-3 victory.
Game 2 of the NLCS was Oswalt's turn, and once again the right-hander was sensational in a big game. The right-hander gave up five hits in seven innings, although he lost his shutout bid on a solo homer by Albert Pujols in the sixth. Oswalt walked three and struck out six.
"He was outstanding," Everett said. "Every pitch he threw just seemed like it had a little bit extra. His curveball was great; his slider and his fastball [were] tremendous."
Burke, the NLDS hero, contributed a triple, an RBI single and two runs scored. The top third of the order -- Biggio, Willy Taveras and Lance Berkman -- were a combined 6-for-14. Burke, Everett and Ausmus contributed a combined two RBIs and three runs scored.
The Astros returned home for Game 3 and took a one-game advantage in the series, thanks to Lamb's two-run homer and Lane's RBI single and run scored, as the Astros and Clemens won, 4-3.
In Game 4, the Astros outpitched, outhit and outplayed the NL Central Division champs in a tight contest that wasn't decided until Houston snuffed out a ninth-inning rally with an improbable double play that even the Astros doubted they could turn.
When Eric Bruntlett and Everett teamed up for the game-ending 4-6-3 double play on a slow grounder off the bat of John Mabry, the Astros had parlayed their October magic into one more win that put them on the cusp of the World Series.
"When that ball left [Mabry's] bat, I thought, 'No way we turn that double play,'" Ensberg said. "I didn't think it was hit hard enough, but Eric made a quick throw, and Adam turned it about as quick as you'll ever see. It was an amazing play, really."
Houston's pitching staff continued to stifle St. Louis, holding the Cards to one run on five hits.
"I think we're all a little shocked right now at the way that game just ended," said Lamb. "It's a great feeling to be up 3-1 on the defending National League champions, but we've still got a long way to go."
That became evident the next night when the Astros came within one strike of clinching the NL pennant.
In Game 5, the Astros appeared to have their first trip to the World Series wrapped up after Berkman's go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh, but Pujols' three-run blast in the ninth off Lidge saved the Cards.
"This is why this game is so great. This is why we all play it and this is why we all love it," said Lane. "This was two great teams slugging back and forth."
Added Ausmus: "It just wasn't meant to be. It was actually a great baseball game to sit and watch. Unfortunately for us, we wound up losing."
It was truly one for the ages, with tension on every pitch and an emotional grind for all. There was the euphoria for the Astros over Berkman's opposite-field three-run homer in the seventh inning off Carpenter that gave Houston the lead, followed minutes later by the disappointment over the Cardinals, one pitch away from elimination, rallying with one of the more incredible comebacks in playoff history against one of the best closers in the game.
"The fans certainly got their money's worth," said Biggio.
Back in St. Louis for Game 6, the Astros turned to their stopper one more time.
With Oswalt pitching another masterpiece in a convincing 5-1 win over the Cardinals, the resilient Astros did what their doubters said they couldn't do -- make it to the World Series for the first time in the 44 years since the franchise began play in 1962.
Lane contributed a home run, and Ausmus had three hits.
"People that thought we would be down or flat after [the loss in Game 5] don't understand this team at all," Ensberg said. "I mean, we came back from 15-30; we came back from devastating losses before. No one in this room doubted we would come back again."
Houston's first World Series game didn't go as well as hoped, as Roger Clemens left in the second inning because of a strained left hamstring.
Lamb hit his third homer of the postseason and Berkman drove in two runs on two hits, but it wasn't enough as the White Sox and Jose Contreras recorded a 5-3 victory at U.S. Cellular Field.
Game 2 proved to be one of the most exciting games of the Series, as Houston was unable to hold a 4-2 lead in the seventh. Pettitte held the White Sox to two runs in six innings, but the White Sox broke through for four runs off the Houston bullpen in the seventh to take the lead.
The Astros weren't finished.
With two on and two outs in the top of the ninth, Jose Vizcaino lined a two-run single off White Sox closer Bobby Jenks to tie the game. Burke slid under the tag of Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski to keep his team alive.
Unfortunately for the Astros, the White Sox had an improbable comeback of their own for the bottom of the ninth.
With one out, Scott Podsednik, who didn't hit a homer in the regular season, hit a solo shot to right-center off Lidge to give Chicago a 7-6 victory and a 2-0 lead in the World Series.
The Astros were rolling along with a 4-0 lead in the fifth in Game 3 at Minute Maid Park. Oswalt was on the mound, the crowd was into it and the Astros seemed headed towards their first Fall Classic win. But a five-run fifth by Chicago, during which it sent 11 men to the plate, erased Houston's lead.
The Astros tied it on Jason Lane's RBI single in the eighth. And it stayed tied until the 14th inning, when former Astro Geoff Blum's home run gave the White Sox the lead in what was the longest World Series game in history.
Brandon Backe shut out the White Sox on five hits in seven innings in Game 4, but Chicago right-hander Freddy Garcia (another former Astro) was just as stingy. The game went to the bullpens, and Jermaine Dye's RBI single with two outs in the eighth was the difference in a 1-0 victory that gave the White Sox their first World Series title in 88 years.
For the Astros, their wild October ended with the tying run at second when Orlando Palmeiro grounded out to end the game.
"I was with a World Series winner [the Angels in 2002], but this was more exciting because we came from so far back and had so much to overcome to get here," Palmeiro said. "This has been an unbelieveable run."
Source: http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/
